While studying music is wonderful just for the pleasure of it, there are other benefits, as well:
- Studies show that instrumental practice enhances coordination, concentration and memory according to Dr. Frank Wilson (University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco). He further reports that the process of learning to play an instrument refines the development of the brain and the entire neurological system. In support of this, Dr. Wilson shared recent data from UCLA brain scan research studies which shows that music more fully involves brain functions (both left and right hemispheres) than any other activities studied.
- "Music instruction can improve a child's spatial intelligence for long periods of time - perhaps permanently," says Frances Rauscher of the University of California, Irvine.
- A reading program in New York dramatically improved reading achievement scores by including music and art in the curriculum.
- The Norwegian Research Council for Science and the Humanities concluded that there is a high correlation between positive self-perception, high cognitive competence scores, self-esteem and interest and involvement in school music.
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Dr. Shinichi Suzuki said in 1983: "Teaching music is not my main purpose… If children hear fine music from the day of their birth and learn to play it, they develop sensitivity, discipline and endurance. They get a beautiful heart."
The following are just a few of the items from https://www.amromusic.com/advocacy-facts
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On SAT tests for 2006, music students scored an average of 57 points higher on the verbal portion of the test and 43 points higher on the math Portion as compared with students with no coursework or experience in the arts.
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A recent Rockefeller Foundation Study found that music majors have the highest rate of admittance to medical school, followed by biochemistry and the humanities.
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A comprehensive series of skill tests were run on 5,154 fifth-graders in all 75 of the Albuquerque, NM elementary schools. In every single test area, children who were learning to play a musical instrument received higher marks than their classmates. In addition, the longer the school children had been in the instrumental programs, the higher they scored.
Click here for a TED Talk about the benefits of playing an instrument.
Interesting articles can be found by clicking on the topics below to learn more.
How to keep a brain sharp ... at any age: learn an instrument!
Playing an instrument enhances all kinds of learning. (Especially notice items 4 & 6.)
Studying music from elementary school through high school is linked to academic achievement.
Structured music lessons affect the executive functions of the brain.